From our hills and hollows to our major cities, southern West Virginia music is a tradition that most of us have enjoyed our entire lives. We have been blessed with a host of talent in our State that have made music their life’s pursuit and inspired untold more.  As we celebrate National Arts and Humanities month, including our music in the conversation is a must. 

Great organizations right here in West Virginia work to share music history, promote events, and encourage participation by our communities to ensure we continue to have a rich arts heritage here in the Mountain State. The West Virginia Humanities Council is an organization dedicated to supporting the arts and humanities. They work very hard to make sure art and music in our state is preserved and promoted and that our state’s talented artisans get the recognition and honor they deserve.

Earlier this year, the West Virginia Humanities Council announced it would fund the Music Hall of Fame exhibit at Tamarack. The permanent exhibit at Tamarack in Beckley, W.Va., which officially opened on September 19, houses memorabilia and recorded works of Mountain State musicians of the last 50 years.  It is being accompanied by a concert series and a variety of educational programs.

Music was the missing link to West Virginia’s première arts venue, Tamarack. The Hall of Fame and Tamarack are natural partners.  I encouraged this partnership and hope to see it grow. The Hall of Fame has done a remarkable job in its first few years and the permanent exhibit is a significant first step.

The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame’s exhibit includes stage clothes from artists like Kathy Mattea and Little Jimmy Dickens as well as instruments, memorabilia, photos and recordings. With nearly a half-million people visiting Tamarack every year, this exhibit will introduce visitors to West Virginia musicians who have contributed to the rich tapestry of American music, from country and traditional to gospel, jazz, classical and blues.

Meanwhile, the Humanities Council continues to make progress on transferring their West Virginia Encyclopedia into an online version. This multimedia reference website, based on the information in 2,200 articles included in the print edition of the West Virginia Encyclopedia, is scheduled to launch on June 20, 2010.

Another exciting initiative is The WV Music Hall of Fame’s Traveling Museum which is a collaborated effort between the Humanities Council and the WV Department of Education. The exhibit is housed in a 28-foot, handicap accessible trailer. Once inside, students experience the rich variety of West Virginia music through memorabilia, historical photographs and documents. Two listening stations filled with the music of many of the featured artists helps to bring the displays to life.

The exhibits showcase the variety of music that has come from the Mountain State, from opera and jazz to gospel, traditional, country, bluegrass, blues and rock ‘n’ roll. While visiting the Traveling Museum, you can view an interactive county-by county map of West Virginia’s musical history, listen to a variety of music and even make your own CD.

This month, and all year long, I encourage my fellow West Virginians to support our state’s great musicians and organizations -- all working to keep our arts and humanities heritage alive and well in our communities, schools, and lives.